La Découverte de Rennes and a Potential New Olympic Sport!

In English, we say "It's raining cats and dogs," but in French, it's Il pleut des cordes (it's raining ropes). Languages are fascinating, aren't they?

Today, we embraced the heavy rain and toured the center of Rennes, known as centre-ville de Rennes. This city offers a charming blend of old and modern architecture. One of the highlights is the 370 maisons à pan de bois, a very Breton style home built at the end of the Middle Ages that has stood the test of time. These homes are unique in Rennes, with only a few remaining in other Breton cities. They differ from those in Normandy and Alsace as they are three to four stories tall, with the top floor larger than the ground floor (rez de chaussée). The higher they rise, the more the facades seem to overflow and meet above the cobbled streets, creating a picturesque scene.

During our tour, we visited numerous local sites, including Les Portes Mordelaises, the fortified walls that protected the city's entrance during the War of the Breton Succession and the Hundred Years War, La Cathédrale Saint Pierre, a stunning Roman basilica, and Le Marché des Lices, an open-air market that we plan to revisit on Saturday. Le Marché is the largest open air market in Brittany. This area used to be jousting grounds, as lices means "tilting ground," or where the knights jousted.  

For lunch, we explored various sandwich shops in the center of town. Students have learned several expressions and cultural nuances for ordering food. 

1. Entrée: In the U.S., this means the main dish, but in French, it's the starter or "entering dish" of the meal. The main dish is le plat principal, and le dessert is naturally the dessert. Sometimes, an assiette aux fromages (a plate of an assortment of cheeses) is enjoyed after dessert.

2. La carte: This is the card or sign listing all food and drink offerings. We call this a menu in English, but in French, le menu (also known as la formule) offers a less expensive way to choose items from different categories on the menu. It's often cheaper than ordering à la carte (off the card/board).

One of our students experienced an unexpected visitor—a pigeon decided to roost on her umbrella and showed no interest in moving! This led to a spontaneous and hilarious solution: passing the pigeon from umbrella to umbrella. It felt like we had invented a new Olympic sport—the Pigeon Umbrella Relay! The laughter and camaraderie it sparked among the students was great to see.

Students are also starting to advocate for themselves around town, speak exclusively in French. One student had a wonderful experience using her French skills today. After lunch, we visited a nearby optician to get her glasses fixed. She communicated her needs entirely in French, and the optician kindly replaced the broken arm of her glasses for free. It was a generous gesture, and she was very grateful. 

As you can see, languages and cultural exchanges truly enrich our lived experiences! 

#french #foodies #multilingualism #francetourisme #rennes #kindnessmatters